I can't help falling in love with you
by CatRocker66
Summary: Steve has been acting weird around Claudia, and she can't help but be curious. Please R&R! (Rated T to be safe)
1. Unwanted feelings

** (AN: Please tell me if it needs fixing, or if you enjoyed it. I'm considering writing a next chapter, but it'll depend on the results of this one.)**

_Wise men say, 'Only fools rush in', but I can't help falling in love with you._

"Claudia! Up!" Myka poked her head into Claudia's door. "Arghh." Claudia let out a sort of strangled grunt. She covered her face with her pillow. "Can't," she murmured. "Horrible headache."

Myka raised her eyebrow. She slid into the room next door to find Steve in almost the exact same state. Rolling her eyes, she got a couple of pills for Jinx and a cup of water. Waiting for the pills to take hold, she headed down stairs. Finally, after a few minutes, Steve got up, his head no longer pounding. As he looked into Claudia's room, he felt a small twinge in his heart as he looked at the girl in the mess of a bed. He pushed the feeling away. He wouldn't let that get in the way today.

"Claud, up," He called. Rolling out of bed, the tech stretched her arms. Wearing only checkered shorts and a forest green tank top, most guys would be naturally stunned, but Claudia didn't even think about it. He was like a brother to her- plus, he was gay. But yet Steve turned to look away, feeling slightly awkward.

Claudia, not seeing that small, subtle action, smiled at her friend. "Dude, what was with the horrible headache?" Steve shook his head. "No clue. Probably nothing," He returned the smile, reassuring her. As he looked at her, he felt the small twinge in his heart again. He shook it out. He couldn't think like that about her. He never should. He just... couldn't.

Steve felt bad. He didn't like to lie to Claudia, but there _was_ a reason for his headache. He had a dream last night, and it woke him up. He spent the rest of the night thinking about it, questioning it, and hating it and himself. By the morning, his head hurt from cursing and abusing himself mentally. Normally he would tell him closest friend, Claud herself, but this time he couldn't. He would make sure she _never_ found out. It was to personal. Mostly, though, because it was about her.

As he remembered the dream, he cursed at himself again, causing him to sub-consciously loose his smile. "Something wrong, Jinksy?" The red-head questioned him. "What?" He asked, startled from his thoughts. "Oh, sorry, nothing. Was just thinking." He flashed her a fake smile. "Hey, I'm going to head downstairs. Need food." Claudia laughed. "You sound like Pete." Claudia got a look of realization on her face. "Shoot! Save me a couple of pancakes!" Now it was Steve's turn to laugh. Heading down the stairs, he called up to her, "If he hasn't gotten to them already!"

As Claudia got ready, she thought about Steve, and how much of a great friend he was. She couldn't imagine life with him any differently. She quickly pulled on a purple and black checkered halter and dark blue skinny jeans, and grabbed her pair of black sneakers. Tying them, she considered a different relationship with him. One with a different type of love. Claudia almost laughed at herself. First, they were partners, and friends. And almost siblings! Second, the feelings would never be mutual. Third, this was STEVE she was talking about, for Christ's sake! He was gay, and they had a very special relationship!

Shaking her head, she ran down the stairs. She had pancakes to get to.


	2. Hiding the truth

**(AN: Please R&R. I want to know what you all think.)**

Boring inventory. Again. Claudia frowned, checking items off on her check list. Suddenly, Claudia began to feel a lack of oxygen in her lungs. "Take a freaking breath dude!" She managed to call out. She felt the air come streaming back. "Thank you." It was slightly obnoxious having someone like Steve attached to you, but it was worth it. Anything was for him.

"Sorry." Claudia heard him running up behind her, still slightly panting. "I just wanted to take a run." She rolled her eyes at him. Jinx inwardly shrunk down. Once again, he was lying to her for the second time that day. Honestly, he needed to clear his head. It was filled with emotions for the girl in front of him. Ignoring them, he walked up to the shelf Claudia was checking.

"It still amazes me, some of these stuff ." He began to read a label of a silvery-looking pen. "Albert Bandura's pen..." He began to read out loud. "Gives the user clarity on their deepest feelings and desires." Claudia raised an eyebrow as she checked another item off her list. "And the downside?" Steve continued to read. "Exept the way you know about the feelings is thorugh a terrible nightmare." Claudia made a face of disgust. "That sucks. Like, big time."

Steve laughed her. It was amazing how only she could make him smile as much as he did around her. As she moved to the next items, Steve followed her with his eyes. The way how she moved, how she talked, he couldn't help but find her attractive. Not to mention, she was plain pretty.

"Yes?" She asked him, fake annoyance in her voice. "I know you're watching me." "I-I- Um..." He sputtered, afraid of what she might think. "Kidding, Jinksy. You're being more uptight than usual," she said, turning around to face him. "You've also been jumpy. Anything wrong?"

His mind flickered over a thousand and one problems. _I can't sleep without nightmares, I can't eat without my stomach turning, I can't do _anything _without you on my mind. And I'm afraid I'm falling for you. But I'm gay, and you're... you. My other sister. My BFF. But what I wouldn't give to kiss you freely..._

"Steve!" Claudia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Dude! What was that?" Steve looked around for a second. "Uh... what was what?" The red-head sighed. "You've been staring into space for about a minute.." She crossed her arms as she considered her next words. "Yup." Placing her clip board on the rack, she grabbed his wrist and began to drag him in the direction of Artie's office. "Ya what? Where are we going?" He questioned suspiciously. "To go see anyone else. Probably Artie. Possibly Myka."

"... why?"

Claudia sighed again. "Because something's wrong! This isn't the first time you've spaced out during this week. I know you haven't been getting good sleep. I can feel it. I can feel your fear when you have nightmares. I can hear you tossing in your bed." She looked into his eyes and crossed her arms. "I _know _you, Steve. We are attached by an artifact! I feel what you feel. I'm even in the room right next to yours, Steve! I can tell something's wrong!" Tears began to well up in her eyes as she looked at him.

Her voice dropping, she whispered, "And I don't know how to help you."

Steve wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. "No, shhh, shh..." He hugged her tighter, attempting to give her some sort of comfort. "Look, nothing's wrong. I'm just going through a rough patch..." His voice trailed off as he attempted to think of some excuses. As he hugged her, he felt his heart flutter in his chest. He angrily shoved it aside, hating himself. It was his fault Claudia was on the verge of tears. It was because of him and his feelings that Claudia was worrying about him instead of herself. She didn't deserve him.

But no matter how much he hated him self at that instant, he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her warmth on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his collarbone. Realizing he couldn't just push his feelings away, he brushed them into a dark corner. She deserved his attention right now, in a friend way. He had to continually remind him self the last part.

She was his best friend. His friend. His sister.

"Please Claudia, don't worry about me. It's nothing." Claudia let out a muffled sob, his chest slightly dampening her sounds. "For a human lie detector, you're pretty horrible at lying, she told him, only a slight string of humor in her voice, almost drowned out by the tones of sadness.

"Look, there is something," He began softly. She looked up at him expectantly. She could see her mascara what starting to run, and her eyes were red a slightly puffy. He placed a hand on the back of her head. He continued. "But it really is nothing important. It'll blow over soon. I'm sure." She placed her head back into her previous spot. "Promise?" She asked. He sighed.

"Promise."

"Good." He felt her smile. He felt his heart tear apart at the same time. He had lied, _again,_ and this time, he had broken a promise. To her. Claudia.

Steve placed his hand under her chin and lifted it to look her in the eyes. "Now come one. Let's get ice cream." She supplied him another watery smile. Steve knew that even though they felt the other's pain, she wouldn't feel his heart break. That was an entirely different pain, the worst kind.

He grasped her hand in his, and pulled her toward the exit. "Two scoops." She laughed at him and leaned into him as they walked hand in hand. Much to his dismay, he felt the feelings he had brushed into he corner flutter back. He ignored them for Claudia. He looked at her and flashed her a smile. "With chocolate sauce."

He would ignore them forever, for her. It was worth it. Anything was.

**(AN: I put a lot more Steve than Claudia in this. Do you think it should be full Steve, or half Steve and half Claudia? A really don't know. Please leave some feed back. The more I get, the better I can make the story.)**


	3. What did he mean?

**(AN: So... I have no idea who's perspective is going to be dominant in this. Also, I'm pretty sure both Leena and Artie are going to get a part in this :D So I hope you enjoy. Please leave feedback, even if you already have on a previous chapter. I love feedback!)**

Claudia sat in her room, headphones in ears. She hoped no one would disturb her, they were all downstairs, talking and laughing in their normal post-dinner way, but she just felt like she couldn't take the joy. She could feel inside her, something was wrong. But every time she reached for it, it withdrew from her memory.

It had been a week sense the incident at the warehouse, and things had gone pretty much back to normal. She was still slightly worried about Jinks, though.

She shook him out of her mind as she continued back to the device she held in her hands. She normally liked to listen to rock, or soft acoustic guitar stuff, but she just wasn't in the mood. She couldn't help it. She was more in a mushy mood.

Flipping through her own revised version of an iPod's play list she found the perfect song. "Straight no Chaser, eh? I remember them," She reminisced. _Rhythm of love... ya, kind of gushy, but it works._

She crossed her fingers underneath her head, laid back, and closed her eyes. She enjoyed the sweetness of the music. It reminded her of Steve. _Wait, no, what? _She questioned herself. _It's because how sweet he is. Yeah, that's it. _She was trying very hard to convince herself that was is. _Are you sure?_ She heard a voice ask.

"YES!" She shouted. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had actually yelled this.

Her head shot up and she quickly took out her ear buds to make sure no one was knocking.

_1, 2, 3, 4. Hey no one's coming. Sweet, _she thought. Right as she was about to place her head back down she heard a knock on her door. She groaned and got up.

"Yes, everything's alright." She swung open the door, expecting Leena, or maybe Myka, but instead Steve stood in front of her.

Jinks raised an eyebrow as she said that. "Wait, what? Please repeat what you just said." Claudia shuffled her feet and looked at them.

"Look me in the eyes and say it." She looked up at him.

"Uh, it was nothing. I'm fine." She smiled at him. He frowned at her. "Liar."

She crossed her arms at him. "Well, it's nothing to me. And plus, _you _never told me what was wrong." She walked back to her bed and sat down. Claudia patted the spot to her left. "Lets talk about it."

Jinks could tell this was only half in the normal 'I'm angry at you so we're going to do this my way' Claudia thing. It was also part honest concern. Sighing, he sat down next to her. She looked at him expectantly, exactly like she did last week.

He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but notice how pretty they were. He had to clear his throat as he looked into them. He dragged his gaze to the floor so he could speak.

"Look, Claud. It's just..." Steve trailed off. Scratching his chin, he thought how he was going to say what was wrong and still leave the secret parts out.

"Look, I-I... um..." He took a deep breathe. "I have a crush on someone." He felt like he was going to be sick.

Claudia's face suddenly changed from one of worry and concern to one of excitement.

"No way! Who is it?" She stopped. "Oh God, is it Pete?"

Steve made a face. "No! I mean. He's cute, but totally not my type." She laughed at this, which of course, made his heart melt.

She was happy for Steve, sure. They were best friends. But a little part of her disliked- no, _hated_- the idea that he liked someone else. She also hated herself for feeling like that.

"But, also, who it is, that's my secret to keep." He told her. He needed to make sure she didn't pry. She didn't like it, but she accepted it. "But now, it's your turn to share what's wrong."

It was Claudia's turn to make a face. "Tell." He grinned at her. She glared back.

She looked at her nails as she began to speak. "Well, I just seem to be having some, uh, small problems with feelings. Like, I don't understand why I'm having the ones I'm having." He nodded at her. "I understand. You know that you can tell me anything you want to, right? I'm always here for you." He smiled at her.

"I know, thanks." She leaned into him, head on his shoulder. _This_ felt like what she was missing. He wrapped his right arm around her waist, and rested his chin gently on her. He couldn't hold back a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He wanted to sit there forever, except he wanted to be able to kiss her, and have her know that he liked her, and know that he wanted to spend eternity with her. But he knew that could never happen. It never would.

After a few minutes in Steve's arms, Steve felt Claudia's breathing even out, and knew she was about to fall asleep. He felt her grip on his neck lessen, and knew she was out. Smiling, he quietly and gently laid her down and pulled the blankets over her.

He couldn't resist it. He pressed a soft kiss on her cheek and looked at her lovingly. "I love you," He murmured gently. He still had small smile left on his face as he left her room and closed the door with a soft _clunk._

She shot up the second the door closed. She could feel her heart racing. She had woken up slightly when he had placed her on the bed. She had felt him kiss her. She heard him whisper the words. She had no idea to think of it.

But worst of all, she only had one question- What did he mean?

**(AN: I'm so sorry it took me forever! I swear on Syfy I will start to post chapters weekly :) But I really am sorry for the delay. Please forgive me!)**


	4. Nightmares and Teardrops

(**AN: Ok, so probably at least a few of you are hating me for the lack of updates and no Artie or Leena's perspectives. I have an explanation for it but I'm just to lazy to type it, honestly. But now I have promised more updates, and with that different perspectives. FYI, there's going to be an update to the second chapter. Sorry, but for this to make sense you're going to need to re-read the part about the pen. Now, onto the story!)**

After the shock of Steve's kiss, Claudia had laid in bed for almost three hours, thinking about it and him, before she managed to sleep. And her dream's weren't an escape from him either. She was constantly tossing and turning, and muttering almost incoherent things while she dreamt.

Leena was just finishing up a chapter in the book that she was reading when she heard a quite muttering coming from Claudia's room. She looked at the clock, wondering why the girl was up at 12:14 at night. Curious, she walked upstairs and she opened her door softly.

She almost gasped at what she saw. Even in the dark, Leena could see Claudia's aurora was a mix of so many colors. But confusion, hurt, love, and despair were the most prominent. Leena could feel her pain and hurt, not physical, but emotional pain.

Even for a normal person, the young girl was still a pitiful sight. She was curled tightly into a ball, obviously needing comfort. Her hair was messy, and she looked small among the mass of covers bundled around her. But Leena knew that she could only help her when she woke up. Sighing, she quietly left the girl's room. As she turned to head to her room, Leena picked up a weird feeling.

She felt waves of anguish, similar to the ones from Claudia, coming from Steve's room. Leena couldn't help herself. She gently opened up the door and peeked in. Just as she suspected. His aurora, too, was one of such painful emotions it made her want to cry. She shook her head. Leena knew she could do nothing for either of them.

As she was about to leave, she heard Steve say a name that made Leena stand still.

"Claudia," he murmured softly. Leena was stunned at the love and care he put into the girl's name. That's when it hit her. What was happening between the two of them was indeed the same thing- and for each other. She smiled knowingly and shook her head. How he said her name was _not _how a brother would say to his sister, but more between two lovers.

Leena left his room as unnoticed as she had entered it, and tip-toad down the hall to her room. She was happy the two had finally considered their feelings. It was about time.

She was just worried about how it would end for the two.

* * *

_**"****NO!"** _The entire B&B was woken up at 6:30 that very same night to yelling. Heart racing at the voice, Claudia struggled to get herself untangled from her blankets and ran into Jinks' room.

Claudia knew it wasn't only her heart racing, but also Steve's. She could feel his fear, and his lack of breath, like he was running. And as she looked at him, lying on his bed, his hands groping the sheets desperately, she felt despair run through her veins.

"Claudia, we're going to help him, okay?" Claudia heard Myka behind her, and knew the rest of the team was there, too. Knowing that was a signal that she was in the way. Taking a step back, she placed her hands over her mouth in an attempt to keep herself from crying. She was failing.

Myka put the back of her hand to his forehead and turned worriedly to the group. "He's burning." Claudia felt a rush of anger. "Well then wale him up!" She almost yelled at Myka, and saw her flinch.

Myka shook him softly. When she got no response other than him clenching his hands tighter, she shook him harder. "Steve, you have to wake up. We're here. Please wake up." No response. By now everyone could see tears were dripping from his eyes. He was shaking, and he was also hyperventilating. Not good.

The red-head jumped as she felt a soft hand on her shoulder. "I have this." Leena said softly to her. She breezed over to Steve's side. Nodding slightly to Artie, she shooed Myka away. Myka took an uneasy step back and stood next to Pete and Claudia.

Leena sat next to Jinks on the bed, and closed her eyes. Only Artie knew what she was doing, but not even him knew how she did it.

"Don't worry. She's going to go though his aurora in a deep-read. She'll see what's wrong and how she can fix it." Pete nodded tensely and grabbed Myka's hand in a sign of comfort. The small part of Claudia that could currently think about anything other than Steve noted how she had to make fun of them because of that later.

* * *

Leena reached deep into Steve's conscious, attempting to pull out what she need. As she poked, she finally found a spot that made him flinch, like a bruise. She pushed deeper, forcing the thoughts and memories to surface.

Knowing that this was most likely the source of the nightmare, she started to work faster. She knew that the longer the thought was there, the worse the nightmare would be for him. She quickly shuffled through them, only slightly surprised by what she saw.

She saw a red-headed girl. The girl was smiling, and was dressed in an old-fashioned gray outfit. Leena felt a pang of happiness rush through her, and she knew it was not her own. Everything she felt here was Steve's.

She saw the Pete holding Claudia and jokingly attempting to kiss her. Leena felt an almost overwhelming urge to hit him. Next she was in a room, sitting next to Jane, and being hugged by the said girl. Love rushed through her, and she didn't want the girl to leave.

Leena drew back, knowing how to wake him up.

* * *

Claudia jumped forward the second she saw the innkeeper's eyes open, startling the young woman. "How do we fix it?" Leena swallowed nervously. This was going to be hard to explain to them.

"Artie, Aisle 31 Hemmington." Artie gasped. "You have got to be kidding me." Leena shook her head and stood up. "It's all the signs. The nightmare, the fever, it has to be it. Plus, it's where he was taking inventory last week."

"Dear god, can anyone here not have a relationship with their partner? And why can't children keep their hands off artifacts?" He muttered crossly, but he couldn't disguise the smile that had graced his featured.

"What? What is in 31 Hemmington?" Myka asked suspiciously. "Plus, we can't use an artifact to wake up Jinks! Imagine the nasty downside!" Pete sided with Myka, crossing his arms.

Artie shook his head. "We're not using an artifact. _He_ used an artifact. And 31 Hemmington is where we're going to find it." He quickly rushed out the door. Pete and Myka quickly followed, hand in hand. Claudia was about to follow them when she was stopped by Leena.

"Claudia, you need to stay here. He's going to need you, especially when he wakes up." Claudia sighed and sat down in the big armchair that sat in Steve's room. She hated seeing him like this. She noticed that his fear came more in cycles, like he was having to re-live what he was going through. Currently his hands were loose, and only a single tear remained on his cheek. "Please... no... don't. You don't want to do this." Now that the room wasn't as clouded with emotions and worry, they both could make out he was talking.

Claudia rushed to his side. "What? No what?" She could also now feel her own tears spilling out. She fell to her knees and grasped his hand between her own. "No what?" She whispered.

"No... please... don't. Don't hurt her." She heard him whimper. "I'll do anything." The flow of tear had started back up.

Claudia felt hopeless. She felt him shaking, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't just him. She turned towards Leena. "How do I help him?" She said, her voice filled with so much sadness it broke the Innkeeper's heart. She honestly didn't know.

"I... I don't know. There's really nothing we can do more than wait for the to neutralize the artifact that did this." "Then what did this?" Claudia asked.

Her voice was now cold. It came out more a demand than a question. "Albert Bandura's pen. Causes horrible nightmares in exchange for-" "Learning what you desire and yearn for." Claudia cut her off.

"Yes, how did you...?" Leena trailed off, questioning in her voice. "He read me the label last week."

Leena reached out and patted her friend's hand.

"Claude? You here?" Claudia's head shot up and looked at Jinks, how was gripping her hand softly. She was disappointed to see her was talking in his sleep.

"Yes, I'm here." She whispered, her tears dripping onto their clasped hands.

* * *

"Huh?" Steve looked around. He heard a giggle and remembered what he was doing. "Claude? You here?" He called out. He heard the giggle agin from somewhere inside this maze of blank, dull, white walls. He smiled as he heard her.

"I know you're here!" He called out. He turned a corner and felt something run into he. "Eek!" The girl squealed as he grabbed her fiercely from behind her. She was wearing a long, flowing, and bright white dress that came down to her knees. She was also wearing plain white flats, which brought her about 4 inches shorter than him.

"I'm not letting you go." He growled, fake menace in his voice.

The girl squirmed in an attempt to leave but her wouldn't let her. He kissed behind her ear, knowing it was her ticklish spot. She collapsed in a fit of giggles. "Not fair!" She quickly spun around on tip toe and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose.

He held her head between his hands and looked into her dark, warm, brown eyes. He gently leaned in and pressed his forehead on hers. His arms were wrapped around her waist, resting gently on the top of her hips. Her arms were similarly wrapped around his neck.

The tips of their noses were barley touching. "You know I love you." He smiled, still looking into her eyes. He loved how she was the perfect height, and how he could look perfectly into them. He loved her beautiful chocolate eyes. He loved her short, red hair, and the adorable stripes of color she put in it.

He loved everything about you. And here, he could show it, and her, just how much he cared for her.

"I love you to." She whispered back. She kissed him gently, and leaned into him. He closed his eyes returned the kiss. He never wanted to leave this place. This was paradise for him.

Suddenly, the feeling of her lips on his disappeared, and he no longer could feel the pressure of her body pressing against his. He opened his eyes to find air.

He looked up, and his eyes widened in horror as he saw her. But instead of standing there, smiling, a dark-clad figure had a hand over her mouth, and the other held a knife to her throat.

He didn't know why, but he knew this thing wasn't here for money, or a hostage. He knew it fully intended to hurt her. He couldn't let that happen. He took a step towards the figure.

"Now, you don't want to do this." He was trying to keep the fear and tremble out of his voice. To his horror, he knew he was failing miserably. Even though he couldn't see it, he had a feeling that it was smiling in that horrible way at him. "Please, don't."

Now he he was just pleading. "Please... no... don't." He begged it. It pressed the blade tighter to her neck. A trickle of blood ran down her neck.

He tried to run forward, but found his feet were stuck in the ground, almost like quicksand, but he wasn't sinking. The figure pressed the blade deeper, causing the girl to scream.

He collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"No... please... don't. Don't hurt her." He whimpered. "I'll do anything."

The figure pulled the blade quickly across her throat. Suddenly, the girl's body went limp. The figure dropped her and disappeared behind another wall.

Still stuck, Steve had to sit there and watch the life bleed out of the girl who he loves.

"Steve... please... help me..." She whispered hoarsely, her arm stretching toward him. He reached back, but there was still a good half a foot between them.

He watched in despair as blood poured freely from her neck. "You... you don't really love me. You lied. You never did love me." She said accusingly. Her eyes were filled with hate. "No,... I love you..." He tried to convince her. By now, tears clouded his vision.

"You never did." She spat at him. Then, her body lost the last bit of life, and her head dropped to the floor.

"_**NO!" **_He screamed. He notice his feet were loose and was quickly by her side. There was now a pool of blood that surrounded her body, but he ignored it. He dropped to his knees beside her and grasped her hand. It was already cold.

"No... please, hold on... I'll get help. I'll fix this..." He looked into her eyes, which were now hollow, like an empty void. He knew it was too late, but he still held her hand tightly. "No... please, don't leave me. I love you." He whimpered, teardrops running down his face. "Claudia, I love you."

"Huh?" Steve looked around. He heard a giggle and remembered what he was doing.

* * *

Claudia was holding his hand tightly. It was killing her to watch him like this.

"Claudia, I love you."

"_What?!" _Claudia shrieked and jumped up, almost knocking of a lamp. She turned to Leena, her eyes wide. _"What did he just say?!"_


	5. Breaking from the loop

**(AN: I have started writing this story in class. School is so boring. So expect more than weekly updates of long chapters. ****And expect angst, hurt, comfort, and so many other feels in the up coming chapters. Also, I want to thank everyone for being supportive readers. That's priceless.)**

Leena sighed and began.

"Well, um... we think Steve used the pen because he was confused about his feelings. Please sit down Claudia." She motioned to the chair the red-head was previously in.

Claudia eyed her warily and crossed the room towards the chair in the corner. Lowering herself in the giant chair, she opened her mouth to speak. Claudia needed to ask something no matter how much she feared any and all of the answers.

She quickly closed it when she found her throat was entirely dry. Swallowing, she started again.

"And those feelings were...?" She faded. She knew that so many of the answers could lead to a huge change in their relationship forever, and on top of it, some would utterly destroy her. Leena twiddled her thumbs nervously and stared at the floor.

"His feelings for you." The inn keeper chocked out. Claudia's eyes widened, and she sunk into the chair. She felt so vulnerable, and hurt.

Yes, a very small part of her was happy, almost ecstatic by the fact that he had feelings for her. But it was drowned in all of the betrayal and anger she felt. "How could he?!" She spat angrily, sitting up in the chair.

"Claudia..." Leena said gently. "I'm his sister! We're partners! And- and-..." She slid back into the chair, and a lone tear rolled down her face. "And he put himself in danger because of it."

She felt entirely defeated, and her heart was almost in an overload of feelings. Why had they let this happen? How could _she _let this happen?

As she looked at Steve's twitching body, her emotions switched to ones of hurt, sadness, and overall pain. She just couldn't believe this had happened to them.

"An-and he couldn't just talk to me?" She said in a strangled whisper. "He had to go and do this to himself?" Leena smiled sadley and shook her head.

"He didn't want to hurt you. He was afraid of loosing your friendship, or making you believe he loved you before he fully understood what he felt." She looked at the other girl. "He did it to protect you."

The tech curled her legs up to her chest. As she stared at her partner's shaking body, she wondered if it had been worth it to him.

As she looked, she whispered, "But the problem is, I don't know how I can help him now."

Leena smiled gently at her. "Then be happy. It's what he would want."

* * *

As Steve watched Claudia bleed in front of him once again, he felt almost a hand tugging at his consciousness. He fought it as he felt it pulling him away from her. "No! I'm not leaving you, Claud." He growled. Suddenly, she started to fade, causing him to whimper. "Don't leave."

His vision started to fade, and slowly turned darker and darker. He groped out in the growing darkness, attempting to find Claudia. His fingers feeling nothing, and his heart feeling and overwhelming wave of sadness, he let the hand pull him away from the site of his beloved's murder.

* * *

"_We just neutralized the pen. He should start to wake up soon."_

Myka's face looked up at Claudia through the Farnsworth. The older agent could clearly see Claudia's eyes were puffed up and her face was streaked with tears.

"_Don't worry Claud. He will wake up."_

Claudia only nodded slightly. Sighing, Myka gave her one last encouraging smile and closed the Farnsworth. Following suit, Claudia dropped it on the table next to her.

She watched Steve, every fiver in her body worried that he wouldn't wake up. Both of the women sat in the room, and both watched Steve's body for any sign that he would wake.

Just as Claudia felt tears stinging her eyes as she convinced herself he wouldn't wake, she saw his eyes begin to flutter open. "Steve!"

Claudia was at his side in a moment. She stood next to the bed, and her hands nervously clasped one of his own. She shook it gently. "Come on, Steve. Come back to me." She sobbed gently, staring at her face. "Wake up, please. Please wake up Steve."

His eyes slowly pulled apart, squinting against the light as he sat up. As he looked at Claudia, the memories of what he had experienced, each and every time, came crashing back to him. He felt tears well up as he stared at her face.

He slowly raised his unoccupied hand and gently touched her cheek, almost like he was possessed. "Claud?" He whispered, and looked into her eyes.

She raised her hand and softly touched the one on her face. "I'm here." She said, tears freely falling. She smiled, and her eyes filled with hope.

He quickly wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, and the other held her head to the spot between his neck and shoulder, where she fit perfectly. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

"I thought I lost you." She whispered, her voice filled with pain." He held her closer if that was even possible. "I'm sorry." She nodded into into.

Leena smiled and quietly slipped from the room, and neither of them even noticed.

Claudia crawled into the bed and pressed herself against him, arms still around his neck, face still on his chest.

"I really am sorry."

"I know. And we'll talk about it." She looked briefly up at him. "Later. But not now." He gave her a weak smiled and pressed his cheek on the top of her head. "Okay."

* * *

After the rest of the team came back, and hugs and smiled were exchanged, Steve confined himself to his room. Myka and Pete were too happy he was okay and currently to engrossed in each other to question why he had used the pen. Plus, both were currently on the couch, with her head in his lap. And both Leena and Artie knew why already, they didn't have to ask.

And Steve had this horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that someone had told Claudia why. After the hug they had exchanged, he had lost her and assumed she had retreated to her room. After the nightmares, it kind of scared him to not have her in his constant sight. Even though her knew that after what happened, he had no right to be around her, but it still made him chew on his fingernails with worry.

He felt such an extreme need to wrap his arms around her and just hold her to him, and never let go. He had to remember every time he lost her, every time he couldn't help her, every time her life slipped away from him. It stung like and open wound covered in lemon juice and salt.

Jinks held a picture in his hands, and his thumb brushed over the face on the right. It was him and Claudia when they were at the reenactment looking for Grant's flask, both clad in the gray Confederate uniforms.

Claudia was beaming, and her brown eyes practically shone with happiness. He was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, smiling back at her with a smile filled with content. Sighing, he studied her face, drinking in every detail of her face, that one she saw twisted in hate in his nightmares.

It hurt so much that because of his selfishness, he had brought her so much pain, and had made sure that the relationship between the two would never be the same again.

He wondered what would happen next time they got a ping. Would Artie be soft on Steve, and send someone else with him instead of Claudia? Or would he have no mercy? Steve doubted Artie would cut him slack.

The very thought of being stuck on a plane next to the girl who he did- but shouldn't- love made him want to be sick. He _loved _the girl for God's sake! How could anything ever return to normal, how it was before he screwed it up?

How could he even face her now?

Gently placing the picture back in it's spot, Steve buried his face in his hands. He didn't know what he would do now. Maybe he could go back to the ATF, get his old job back. Or start a new life. Get a new job.

Fall in love with someone- someone he could actually be with.

He felt lost. But he knew that he couldn't leave no matter what. It wouldn't be fair to any of the others. He knew that the only way to solve any of this was to confront Claudia.

He had to- he did love her, after all.


	6. We're Talking

**(AN: Hey there readers! I'm uploading, so I wont break my promise on Syfy ^^ Also, be prepared for some angst in this and in the upcoming chapters. So don't attack the author with sharp objects! * Hides * I wont make it _too_ terribly angrsty... :] So, that's about it. Well, onto the story!)**

Steve paced nervously in his room, teeth biting into his lip, hands clasped on his head. He was trying to think of what to do next with his recent 'discovery'.

He didn't know what he'd say to her. Tell her how much he needed her? Show her what he meant to her? Take a leap of faith and go for the cliché kiss?

He really didn't want to scare her away, or put her in a difficult position. He wanted her to make a choice that _she_ wanted, not what he or anyone else wanted. But that didn't keep him from praying she would allow him into her life like that.

He did love her, after all.

He subconsciously bit down harder, and was startled out of his thought when he heard Claudia shout from next door. "Ow! Dude!" Steve tasted blood, and realized he must've bit through the skin on his lip. He cringed at the thought that he had hurt Claudia, even something as minor as that, and even if he didn't inflict it purposefully on her.

"Sorry!" He mentally shrunk back as his voice cracked, but he knew that she probably didn't even hear him. She tended to listen to her music when she was stressed or thinking, and he was positive that she was probably at least a little tensed up.

After the party and he had locked himself in his room, he realized Claudia was in hers. Next door. To him.

The fact that she was so close, and always will be, and he couldn't have her hurt.

He flopped, face down, onto his bed and groaned. He didn't know what to do.

He had so badly wanted to hold her when he woke up, but over the course of the rest of the day, the wanted had turned into a burning desire, almost a need. He sat up as his thought process resumed.

Steve's fingers longed to trace her face, and his lips craved the blissful pressure of her's. Just like in his dream. He visibly shuddered at the memory of his artifact-induced nightmare.

Because of his idiocy and that stupid pen, he had successfully figured out that he was in love with his almost-sister, his partner, and best friend. On top of it, he had been forced to love her, then have her ripped away and watch her die multiple times in his arms, and in an endless loop.

Because of his traitorous feelings, he had caused her to pull away slightly, and now he might never even have a chance at being her friend again. The very idea hurt him.

He felt like such an ass for this. He put himself before her.

He dropped his head into his hands. "I'm such a jackass." He muttered to himself angrily.

He stood up and clenched his hands into fists beside him.

This was no time to pity himself- he was going to figure out a way to fix the mess he had made. He began pacing again.

He was seriously tempted to punch the wall, if for no reason more than to hurt himself, but he didn't want to hurt Claudia just to do it.

That was another reason why he hated being connected to the metronome- he couldn't get hurt without hurting her, so he _couldn't_ take a bullet for her.

All of the thought combined just made him pace faster.

* * *

Claudia's eyes fluttered open, and she stretched her arms as she sat up. Her hand moved to cover her mouth as it opened into a yawn.

A little after she felt Steve bite his lip open, she had dozed off, head phones still in, her mushy play list still going. She remembered despising herself for having the need to listen to them. She paused the current song temporarily as she reflected on the day's events.

She was horrified that Steve would do... _that_ to himself over feelings. They had to be extreme to go to those measures.

But what was even worse was that the feelings were over her, of all people. Leena had said he loved her. Hell, he himself had cried while her said he loved her. And more than a sibling or friend love.

She wasn't sure she could do it, be with him like that.

Yes, she has thought about it before, but she knew that if they screwed it up, they would never be able to go back to what they had. _Then again,_ she mused to herself, _it will never go back, whether or not I make a choice._

She didn't want to hurt Jinksy, she really didn't. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to take their relationship to that level.

She had been hearing a muffled _thump thump thump, _but she had ignored it. Now she was getting annoyed. She pressed her ear to the wall by her bed and realized that it was Jinks' pacing.

She looked at the clock, and her eyes widened as she saw she had been asleep for a hour and a half. _He's been doing that for almost two hours?! _She exclaimed mentally.

She swung her feet over her bed onto the floor. He was going to kill himself with this. As she tried to stand, her legs gave out underneath her. She fell back onto the bed with a soft _fwoomp._

The tech's feet ached and her legs felt like they were on fire. She concluded that this was Steve's doing, not her's. She attempted to stand once again, this time very cautiously. She used her nightstand as a support and began to slowly limp towards her door.

She opened it and frowned as it squeaked. She hated that about the door. She was leaning against the door frame for support, and she let go of it when she started to walk towards Steve's door.

To her horror, the second she had taken a step forward, her knees gave out again. Expecting to hit the wooden floor next, she closed her eyes and braced for impact.

But to her surprise, she never even touched the floor. Instead, a hand was pressed to her back, and another was wrapped around her wrist.

She flicked her eyes open in surprise, and almost jumped back when she saw who it was.

Steve held Claudia in his arms, his eyes clouded over with worry.

* * *

Steve had been pacing for over a hour and he still hadn't thought of anyway to win Claudia over. It frustrated him beyond belief that what he felt he needed with his entire heat, more than food or water, was in the room next to him.

And he couldn't think of a way to get her.

He had been startled out of his thoughts when he heard the tell-tale sign of a door's squeak. The one a certain door makes every time it opens.

_Claudia,_ he thought. Even though he had no plan, he had to go see her. The sooner he talked to her, the more of their friendship he could recover.

He had swung his door open just in time to see Claudia take a step forward and fall. He shot forward and wrapped his left arm around her waist, and his free hand reached up and grabbed her wrist.

He barley realized that in an attempt to keep her up, he had pressed her body tightly to hers.

He suddenly realized he could smell her chapstick, and he felt her back on his hand. And mostly, her face was pulled close to his, and their lips were only a few inches apart, and Steve could feel her breath on his face. His was looking into her deep chocolate eyes, and her into his.

His heart ached, and he wanted nothing more in the entire world than to pull her closer and kiss her.

Except her happiness- she would always come first.

So he loosened his grip, but only enough to give her space. He still held her up.

Oh yeah, her safety comes before, too.

It hit him that neither of them had spoken for about a minute, both just looking into the other's eyes.

He cleared his throat. "Um, you okay?" He asked, swallowing the rising temptation to pull her back closer. "Uh, yeah. I'm okay." She muttered, and cast her gaze towards the floor. "Highly doubted. You just fell, and not from tripping.

He narrowed his eyes, but a smile still lingered on n his lips. He couldn't help it. He loved the feeling of her, even now with more space between the two.

She looked back at him, her brown eyes accusing. "Well, I've been asleep and resting for the past two hours. And, might I ask, what _you've_ been doing in that time?"

Now it was Steve's turn to look away. "I-I, um... I've..." His eyes flickered around the hallway, looking for a way out.

"That's what I thought, pacing." She shook her wrist free from his hand and lightly grazed his cheek with the back of her hand. "As hard as it might be for you," She drew back her hand, which Steve almost whimpered at, "we are talking. No artifacts, no excuses, no ways out or around it." Her other hand grabbed at the one that Steve was using to hold her waist, and Jinks could feel her still supporting herself on him.

But her free hand grabbed her room's door frame and began pulling them backwards, into Claudia's bedroom.

"I- ah- what?!" He sputtered, eyes opened fully in horror. "I- um have something to do at the warehouse!" He forced out a laugh as she successfully dragged both of them into her room. "You know how Artie gets when we don't do inventory."

"BS." She growled, shutting the door. "He gave you the next two days off." Using multiple objects around the room to pull them closer to her bed. They were going to talk, and they were going to talk about _everything._

Steve was extremely tempted to pull back or resist, but he was afraid of hurting her. He was only slightly surprised that he was still stronger than her after his pacing-rampage. He was trained to handle physical activity. She was fit (Something Steve now couldn't help but notice and admire), but not in a strength kind of way.

He concluded he would just hop up and leave after a minute or something.

Claudia finally released Steve as they reached her bed, and she fell onto it with a small grunt of pain and relief. Jinks felt a small twinge of guilt at this.

She patted the spot next to her, and Steve knew her eyes were following him.

He swallowed nervously and sat down on her bed, his eyes trained on her bedspread like it was the most interesting thing ever.

Her right hand reached up and gently cupped his chin in her palm. "Look at me." He reluctantly looked at her, her soft hand still on his face.

He was afraid of looking at her, because he didn't want to see the disgust or hate written on her face. When he looked, he only saw concern and sadness.

"Look, Jinks. We are talking." He felt like she was staring into his soul. "And we are not leaving until everything that needs to be said has been said."

**(AN: So, what did you think? * Wiggles eyebrows* Please, don't attack the author! I promise I will update faster! * Ducks from angry readers* I have been having a back week for writing, it was my homework-rehab week -_- Got in trouble with everyone... but now I'm back into the writing! So you shall have more. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!)**


	7. And That's That

**(AN: Sorry for the long update wait! I've been working on a couple other stories, so expect some new ones soon. Hm... Not sure if I have much more to say. Oh ya, I'm super angry at Syfy for the HUGE cliffhanger they left us in 'We All Fall Down'. That was a jerky move XD But I loved Claudia's line, "We are not the B Team. Fool, we are the second A Team." I crack up every time. Now, onto the story!)**

Steve clasped his hands nervously as Claudia's gaze searched his face. All of a sudden the room felt hot, and he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Steve's eyes darted across the room, looking for a way out. He couldn't find one.

Claudia sighed and gently placed her right hand over his, instantly calming him, if only a little. She moved her thumb in circle motions over the backs of his hands soothingly.

"Steve, please, look at me. Please." He dragged his eyes to look into hers. He took in every detail, almost positive she would never let him within two feet of her ever again. He feared that more than anything.

"Jinksy, look. I know what the nightmare was about." He froze. He was right- she knew. Steve only just managed to keep himself from shaking. He opened his mouth to try to explain, but she took her hand of his and placed it over his mouth.

"No. Please, don't try to explain. Don't worry. You don't have to admit, or even say, anything. I just need to let you know a few things. First, it's okay. I understand you're human, and humans have feelings. And we don't choose to have the true feelings, they happen whether we want them to or not."

She took another deep breathe and continued.

"Second, remember, you will always be my BFFEWYLION. No matter what." She smiled at him.

"But..." She lost her smile and faded off. She finally pulled back her arm, and dropped her gaze onto her lap, where her hands now rested. She cleared her throat.

"But I'm just not ready. For anything. For a serious relationship, for a relationship with my best friend." He voice dropped into barley more than a whisper, and Steve had to strain his ears to hear her.

She took another breath. "I told you once I had thought about it, and you know I wasn't lying. And I have to admit, I have still considered it." Steve saw a few tears well in her eyes and resisted the temptation to wipe them away.

"But honestly, I'm not sure if I feel the same." She whispered.

Steve nodded understandingly, but it still stung his heart. But he at least still had her friendship. He slowly stood up, causing her to finally look back up at him. He gave her a soft smile.

"I get it. And Claud, I don't want any of this affecting our partnership and friendship, okay?" She nodded slightly.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. He pulled back only slightly so their faced were a mere inches apart.

"But I'll still wait for you forever, if you ever change you mind." He told her softly. She knew he was telling the truth in those few words.

He straightened back up and headed toward the door. Claudia stayed silent. Just as Steve opened the door, he looked over his shoulder. "Because Claudia, no matter what, you will be my BFFEWYLION, and I will always love you."

And with that he left her room and close the door softly behind him.

Steve flopped onto his bed face first. Thousand of thoughts ran through his mind.

_That was so stupid... what was I thinking?...Kissing her... I actually told her I love her! Yes, like that will make it easier for us to go back to friends... God I hate myself._

He buried his face deeper into his pillow and closed his eyes. _Dear god, I'm tired._

It was late enough for him to go to bed... wasn't it? It really didn't matter.

He already felt sleep tug him gently away from the waking world. Sighing gently, he gave in, and let it pull him away to a place where he knew he might have a chance with the girl he craved.

But, unbeknownst to him, when he closed the door, Claudia hadn't thought about how much she hated him. Instead, she just sat there as the final tear of the day rolled down her cheek a dripped quietly onto her lap.

**(AN: Well, that was it! I will adress Claudia's feelings in the next chapter. I'm sorry this one is so small, but as I already told you, I've been working on other stories. But I still am sorry! Please forgive me :D That's it. Please remember to review!)**


	8. Not a chapter, sorry!

Hey guys, it's me, Kitten. I'm really sorry if you thought this was a chapter. I just wanted to let you all know I'm considering permanently dropping this story, I feel like it's just not that great. If anyone wants to continue it on their own, feel free to, just please make sure to give me credit, thank you.

I'm not positive I will stop it, but I just thought you should all know.

Thank you so much to those of you who have actually stuck through with me for this long on this boring train :P

Have a great day, guys!

-Kitten L. Fowler


	9. Sorry! (Just an AN)

Eheh... once again not a chapter. After the amount of people reviewing about wanting me to continue, I decided it was kind of a jerky move to just stop it there. I will be continuing this story. hopefully I don't mess up to badly. Sorry if I inconvenienced anyone, and I will try to post a new (real) chapter soon.

On a side note, did anyone see the first semi-final of Eurovision today?! Austria so deserved to win! Personally, I wasn't a big fan of The Netherlands' song this year, and Austria or Serbia maybe should've taken that spot. It's funny, I was so pissed I was cursing at everything. I latterly went, and I quote myself here, "F888888 chair! What the f*** do you think you're doing in my way, you f****** b****!?" I think, for an American, I take Eurovision more seriously and personally than some Europeans do XD

Anyway, thanks for hanging on and putting up with my crap, guys. I hope to update soon!

-Kitten L. Fowler


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